Statement on U.S. Supreme Court Decision: Cox Communications vs. Sony Entertainment

In the recent Cox Communications vs. Sony Entertainment decision, the U.S. Supreme Court clarified that companies are not liable for copyright infringement merely for providing services to the general public, even where some users may misuse them—reaffirming that contributory liability requires intent and cannot be based on generalized knowledge alone. The i2Coalition actively participated in this case as an amicus, joining with USTelecom and a broad alliance of ISPs in support of Cox. We are pleased with the ruling: we consistently assert that secondary liability definitions must be kept narrow in order for the Internet to function properly.

i2Coalition Executive Director Christian Dawson noted, “This is a sensible ruling and a victory for the resilience of Internet infrastructure service providers of all sizes and the broader Internet ecosystem.”

You can read our full statement below.

Cox i2Coalition Statement